State lacks transparency, watchdog group says

According to a new report from U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups, Maine gets an ‘F’ for providing online access to government spending data.

“At least 32 states currently mandate that residents be able to access an online database of government expenditures with “checkbook-level” detail; most of these Web sites are also searchable, making it easier for residents to obtain information about government spending,” said a release from the watchdog group.

Maine fails to provide such detail, the nonpartisan, nonprofit citizens’ group said.

“The good news is that state governments have become far more transparent about where the money goes,” said Phineas Baxandall, senior analyst at U.S. PIRG, in a release. “But Maine still has a long way to go.”